Our Solar Coach is Your Ambassador to the Sun

May 11, 2018By Abby Rizzo

If you’re looking for a detailed and personal customer experience during your solar installation, you’re going to love working with Alternative Energy Systems. Every member of our dedicated team, from our solar coordinators and sales reps to our project coordinators and installers, walks a customer through the install process with a commitment to excellence and a goal of 100% customer satisfaction.

In this blog post, readers will get to learn more about our Solar Coach role at SunPower by Alternative Energy Systems. The Solar Coach role is a unique position in the solar industry, and Abby is the only coach in the North Valley, if not the country. Abby does a wonderful job walking the customer through the details of their new system and our customers love when she walks in their home with a gift basket, a smile and of course, those rebate checks in hand!

I love being a Solar Coach. I think it’s the best job in the solar industry. Customers are usually delighted to see me because their project is complete! I also have the pleasure of bearing a gift basket, and many times, a rebate check. From what I’ve heard, I am only the second solar coach in SunPower’s history.

By the time I meet customers in their home, they have gone through the comprehensive process of having their solar system installed. My arrival coincides with the big-time excitement that they are fully powered-on and now saving money.

Their journey started with our designing a custom system to meet their unique energy needs. They signed the contract with us and secured financing for their project, and our team moved forward with the install.

While our customers went about their daily lives, our project coordinators worked with their utility company and permitting agency to issue all needed permissions. Then, our installation team arrived to construct and bring the new solar system to life.

Finally, the big day arrived when their utility company gave the final approval, or permission to operate (PTO). Once they received that approval, it’s my turn to get in touch and walk them through powering on their system over the phone and set the appointment to come over.

When I arrive at a customer’s home, I am greeted by their pets first. As a huge pet fan, this is a big perk of the job for me! The big dogs are always nice, and the little dogs usually warm up after a couple minutes. Cats ignore me mostly, and farm animals stare at me (as do small children).

Every customer is as different as their pets. Customers range from feeling eager to access their SunPower monitoring portal for the first time, to diving in and discussing their production trends by the hour. Each solar system we install is unique and customized for the customer’s specific energy usage, but one thing that seems to be consistent with most of our customers—they usually have trouble remembering their password. Don’t worry! I can help with that.

During our appointment, we look at the customer’s production data their solar system has already accrued since being powered on. I explain solar trends by season and when to expect the most credits. Then, we review the different tools in the SunPower monitoring portal, accessible from any computer or mobile device, to independently assess the health of their system. Conversely, I also free up customers so they can not think about their system. One of the beauties of a SunPower solar system is that it generates clean, silent, solar energy for your home, so you don’t even have to think about it.

Importantly, I explain their yearly “true-up bill” and coach them on how they can avoid costly surprises by reading their monthly utility statement.

I really enjoy taking the customer outside and showing them tips for optimally operating their system, such as what to do in the event of a power outage, and what, if any maintenance is required. Additionally, I teach the customer how to read their meter and determine whether they are sending power back to the utility company at any given moment.

I offer these services to new solar customers, customers who have inherited a system after purchasing a home and even customers who may just need a refresher. I make sure to tailor appointments to meet the solar energy information needs for each customer.

I’ve gotten to see, first-hand, just how amazing the power of sun energy can be. Give us a call today at 530.345.6980 and discover just how much money you could be saving on your monthly utility bills. I’ve gotten to meet so many wonderful customers in my role as the Solar Coach for Alternative Energy Systems and I’m looking forward to meeting many more.